Electric-powered breaker hammers have found a niche in the construction trades. In a wide variety of circumstances, these convenient tools fit the bill for small-scale demolition work.

In our 30-plus years in construction, we've run into just about every kind of situation these tools were meant to handle. So for this test, we used them on a variety of demolition projects to see how they'd perform under different circumstances, from busting up commercial floor slabs to carefully chiseling grooves into vertical concrete surfaces.

We tested 12 breakers in three size/weight categories. The lightest , at about 25 pounds, are the brand new DeWalt D25941K, the Hilti TE905-AVR, Milwaukee 5339-21, and Wacker EH9BLM. The medium-weight, of about 35 to 40 pounds, are the Bosch 11335K Jack, Hitachi H65SD2, and Makita HM1304B. The heaviest breakers, of about 60 to 70 pounds, include the Bosch 11304K Brute, DeWalt D25980K, Hitachi H90SEKIT4, Makita HM1810X3, and the brand new Wacker EH27 Low Vib.

Out of the Box

The light and medium-weight models all come in rigid carrying cases, and a few have breaker points–generically called "tools" or "steel." The Makita and Bosch cases have small but nice integral wheels for easier transport on smooth surfaces.

Sustainable building practices are gaining acceptance in the competitive world of concrete construction. The editors of Concrete Construction and The Concrete Producer have created a new award program to recognize the concrete community's innovative contributions to green building.

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